Circuit making and breaking device



E. H. PIERSEN. CIRCUIT MAKING AND BREAKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OC-T. 2,1919- Patented May 23, 1922.

@aT-.1350903 Dna) E. H. PIERSEN.

CIRCUIT MAKING AND BREAKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 2, I9I9.

1,416,973. y l Patented May23,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

EDWIN E. PIERSEN, 0F TOPEKA, KANSAS.

,CIRCUIT MAKING AND BREAKING DEVICE.

ASpecification of Letters Patent. Patented May 23, 1922. i

Application iled October 2, 1919. Serial No. 328,051.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWIN H. PIERSEN, a citizen of the VUnited States, residing at To eka, in the county of Shawnee and State of ansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circuit Making and Breaking Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whlch it appertains'to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisl specification.

My invention relates to circuit maklng and breaking devices and more particularly to a contact device for use in connection with telegraph transmitters of the type shown and described in my co-pending reissue ap plication, Serial No. 313,705, filed May 17, 1919, wherein the circuit making and breaking device is selectively operated by suitable means illustrated as a perforated tape to cause the line to transmit impulses corresponding to dots and dashes of telegraphic characters,

In order that a device of this class may simulate hand sending and insure standard spacing between impulses and characters, the spacing between perforations inthe tape and between sets of character perforations must be standardized. to avoid confusion at the receiving end. While such standardization is sufficient for ordinary conditions, it is well known that a certain flexibility is essential on account of varying conditions of weather or distanceaffecting transmission of the current through the line. For example, in transmission over short lines and under favorable conditions where substantially a uniform voltage is maintained over the entire line, the space interval is sharply defined and may consequently be short; whereas, in transmission over long lines where there is a drop in voltage or under adverse weather conditionsor where there is a line leak due to moisture o r the like," confusion of the impulses and lpiling up at the receiving station is liable to result unless the sending contacts are separated 'by'v` intervals greater than those employed under' favorable conditions.

It is, therefore, the object of the present invention to provide a circult making and breaking` devicewhich, while simple in construction and o eration, is adaptable for adferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Fig. I is a perspective view'of a circuit making and breaking mechanism embodying my invention and illustrating its application to a telegraph transmitter of the perforated tape type.

Fig. II isa transverse vertical section of a portion of a transmitter of this type on the line of the finger-axis.

Fig. III- is a longitudinal vertical section onthe line III- III of Fig. II, showing the points set at an intermediate position.

. Fig. IV is a similar view showing the points set for a long contact and short space.

Fig. V is a similar view showing the points set for a short contact and long space.

Fig, VIv is a detail sectional View of the stationary contact and its mounting.

Referrlng more in detail to the drawings:

1--1 deslgnate side members of the frame of a transmitter and 2 a roller which is journaled in the side members and adapted to support a perforated tape 3, the said roller h avmg circumferential grooves 4 over which the perforated portions of, the tape may travel for the purpose presently set forth. Also journaled in the frame sides 1 1 parallel with the roller 2 is a shaft 5. Fixed on the ends '16. The bracket is insulated from the frame side by a suitable non-conductor 17 and the lpoint 13 is insulated from the bracket by* a non-conductor 18 to avoid short circuiting whenthe Contact points meet. `The. bracket 15 has an extension arm .19 provided-.with a binding post 20 to which a line wirieff21is attached. The other line wire 22 is connected with a binding post 23 that -is grounded on the frame side 1 to close the circuit when the contact points "meet,

()ne of the contact points,vhere shown to be the one on bracket 15, is preferably made adjustable, by screw-threading the shank 24 carrying the point and mounting the shank in the collar 14, the epd of the shank opposite the contact point carrying a knurled button 25 and a jam-nut 26 whereby the shank may be positioned and anchored to its carrying collar. The contact points are normally yieldingly separated by means of a spring 27 which is attached to the standard 6 and to a pin 28 on the frame side 1 to yieldingly retain the standard in lts rearward position against the stop 29.

In order to effect variation in the length of' the impulses and spacing between impulses, the stop 29 and relatively fixed contact point are adjustable. Adjustment of the stop is effected by forming it as a screw and threading it into an ear 31 that projects inwardly from the frame side 1, the rear end of the screw being provided with a knurled button 32 whereby it 'may be manipulated. A jam-nut 33 is provided on the stop for engagement with the face of the ear 31.to hold the screw in adjusted position.

Referring now to the operating parts:

34 designates contact actuators rotatably mounted on the shaft 5, each having a feeler finger 35 over-lying the tape 3 and adapted for projection into perforations in the tape.

There may be as many of the actuators 344 as there are lines of perforations in the tape and each actuator operates independently of all of the others although there iscertain similarity owing to the fact that any one actuator may operate the movable contact to close a circuit. T he actuators 34 are preferably struck from sheet metal and each is provided with a wing 36 which is bent back parallel with its body part and rotatably mounted on the shaft, the wing of one actuator bearing against the body of an adjacent actuator to effect proper spacing and stab-- ilization. The end of .each of the feeler fingers 35 over-lies va groove 4 in the shaft 2 and is rounded to drop easily through a perforation and be lifted therefrom, as'the tape advances, without injuring the tape, the

of engagement with the universal bar byv support of the fingers 35 on the imperforate body of the tape between the perforations. The fingers being yieldingly held in contact with the tape and urged to project through a perforation by individual springs 38 which are connected with ears 39 on the actuators l34 and with teeth 40 on a plate 41 that extends between and is mounted onA the side frame members 1-1. lach of the actuators 34 is a duplicate ofthe other and provided with an individual spring 38 so that any actuator may be operated independently of the others; i. e., when a erforation in the tape passes beneath one o the feeler fingers 35, the spring 38 for that finger will throw the latter through the perforation and move its arm 37 against the universal bar 8 to effect engagement of the contact points, the remaining lingers, being supported by the imperforate portion of the tape, remaining stationary. The spring 38 for each of the feeler fingers 35 is stronger than the spring 27 that holds the standard 6 rearwardly, so that when a perforation in the tape permits movement of a feeler finger 35, the universal bar 8 will be thrown forwardly under: tension of the spring 38 and against the tension of the spring 27. During this movement, under influence of one of the fingers, the remain fingers remaining stationary.

In the operation of the device, assuming it to be set for favorable conditions, a tape characterized by perforations for the sending of a message is run over the roller 2 and the feeler fingers 35 successively drop into the erforations to effect the making and brea ing of the circuit. For illustration, should a portion of the tape characterized for the sending of the word him be passed over the roller, a feeler finger 35 will successively drop through the four short perforations in' the tape corresponding to the four dots of the character h to make and break the circuit by four short contacts representative of four dots of the character in the telegraphic code. An imperforate portion of the tape of a length corresponding toa space interval then occurs to hold the circuit open for a space interval; a finger then drops successively into two more short apertures representative of two dots for the letter i andfafter another space interval, a finger drops successively into two long apertures representative of the two dashes corresponding to the letter m.

As the dot and dash apertures in the tape are of respective uniform length, the fingers project into the apertures for uniform periods for dots andother uniform periods for dashes, and induce contacts of corresponding periods for dots and dashes, the non-contacting periods, corresponding to intervals between the dots and dashes in a character and between characters, also being uniform.

The periods of contact between the oints 12 land 13 are dependent on the s ace re ation of the adjustable, relatively Xed contact point to the movable point.

'I desired, as for ashort line and favorable finger is so projected, its spring 38 is re-v weather conditions, the stop 29 is setback so -that the standard 6 will be yieldingly retained in rearward position and the rel-l atively fixedcontact is set back close to the ,point 12 on the standard 6 (Fig. IV) With this adjustment, a very slight movementbf the point 12 will bring it into contact wlth the point 13 to close a clrcuit, as the unlversal bar 8 is in close relation to the arms 37 when the standard is set back as described,an arm will engage the universal bar immediately upon entry of its feeler finger into a tapa clear itself after each sending'impulse so that each impulse will be sharply defined at the receiving end of the line. l z

In order to maintain the best operating conditions it is'essential that each make and break in the circuit be sharply defined; therefore, if a high potential line is employed, there will be danger of arcing unless the contacts moveI an appreciable distance apart at each opening movementfof the circuit maker and breaker. If, however', a low potential'line isemployed, the movable contact may have a shorter amplitude of movement because the danger'of arcing is deaperture and move the bar to effect contact \creased.

of the point 12 with the point 13. With this arrangement, 'the actuators will have but slight movement, which must be sufficlent, however, to permit the lingers to project to some extent into an aperture, 1n order to permit; the actuating movement. When the strained by the contact as distinguished from the normal restraint by engagement of the finger with an imperforate portion of the tape. The contact of the points, beglnmng immediately upon projection of the finger into a tape aperture, is maintained until the. finger is lifted by again engaging the tape at the end of the aperture, so that the period of Contact corresponds to full length of the aperture and the period of spacing to f'ull length of the preceding imperforate portlon separating apertures longitudinally.

Should there be a voltage drop on account of the lengthof the line or a leakage due to weather conditions, the current will have a tendency to lag or tail-out? and as a result the impulses will not break as sharply as under more favorable conditions but on the contrary will over-lap or pile up so as to render thesignals unintelligible.'

The objections just enumerated may be overcome by sending the impulses over the line at a relatively slow speed. Commercially, however, such a practice is objectionable because time is an important factor in telegraphy and the company cannot afford to tie up the lines by slowly sent messages. I have provided means whereby not only will danger of overlapping or piling up of impulses be eliminated, but the means also contemplates a mechanism by the use of which the time required to ltransmit such messages will not be increased.

According to my Iinvention the actual time required to send the given dot and dash code will not exceed that now generally consumed because l I have provided means whereby the space interval may be increased while the eriod of time which the contacts may remaln closed will be reduced to-compensate for the increased time the spacing period consumes. In this manner a sufliciently long time may elapse for the line to In the foregoing it will be apparent that 1n order to malntain high speed sending -it will be necessary to shorten the duration of time the contacts remain closed and lengthen the duration of time the circuit is broken. This can be accomplished by adjusting the contact screw 24.

' When a line of high potential is used and it` becomes necessary to increase the breaking distance of the contact points in order 4to prevent arcing when thecircuit is broken,

the necessary adjustment may be made through the medium of the screw 32 which may be moved to the left to bring the universal bar 8 closer to the arm 11 thereby increasing the oscillation of arm 11 and creating a wider air gap for each opening movement of the .ci-rcuit maker and breaker.

y As movementof the point 12 vis 'dependent upon pivotal movement of the actuator under influence of its spring, it is apparent thatl for such' greater travel of the movable point there is a corres ondingly greater projectlon of aselective nger into a tape aperture before the contact occurs. Consequently, as the return of the finger and resultant breaking of the contact occurs at the end of the perforation, irrespective of delay in making the: contact, the space interval is increased to the extent of the additional projection of the finger into the aperture.

. It is apparent that any desired variation of space interval maybe effected within the range of adjustment of the stop and relatively fixed point.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. In combination with relatively fixed and movable contact members,` a record member having alternating portions for the support and release of an actuator, a yieldingly urged actuator supported by the record member and operable on the movable a contact oint, means for yieldingly retaining sai( member in set position,--ad-just able means co-operative With said member to vary its set position, a relatively fixed member, having a contact point, adjustable toward and from. the movable member, and an actuator Jr'or the movable member.

3. Circuit making and breaking mechanism comprising relatively fixed and movable contact members, one adjustable and the other having an adjustable stop Whereby space relation therebetween may be varied by variation in set position of both, and means for actuating the movable member to effect contact thereof with the relatively fixed member.

4. Circuit making and breaking mechanism comprising relatively fixed and ,mo-vable contact members, an adjustable stop for the movable member, means yieldingly urging the movable ,member to set position against the stop, and a plurality of actuators having fixed set positions and each independently operable on the movable member.

Circuit making and breaking mechanism comprising a movable contact member, an` adjustable, relatively fixed contact member, means yieldingly urging the movable member away from the fixed member, an adjustable stop for limiting such movement, actuating mechanism yieldingly urged to move the movable member to contact with the fixed member, and a record member coeach comprising an arm for engaging the universal bar and a feeler finger, a spring for each actuator of greater strength than the contact member spring to move said member t'o contact position when the actuator is released, and a record member capable of supporting, releasing and restoring the actuators. l

7. In combination with relatively fixed and movable contact members, a universal bar on the movable member, a plurality of actuators rotatably mounted on the shafty and each having a Wing also rotatably mounted on the shaft and contacting an adjacent actuator, an arm for engaging the universal bar anda Jf'eeler finger, a spring for each actuator urging the arm to engagement With the 'universal bar and the finger toward a record member, and a record mem,- ber operable on the actuators to effect operation of the movable Contact member.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EDWIN H. PIERSEN. 

